Review // Britax Affinity 2 Pushchair

We reviewed the original Britax Affinity pushchair almost two years ago, and absolutely loved it. It now lives at my in-laws house, and it’s always a pleasure to use when we visit, so I was excited and rather eager to discover what had changed and what had been improved upon with the brand new Britax Affinity 2 that has recently been released.

Vital statistics

Age group: From 6 months to 17kg (approximately 3 years) Can be used from birth with the carrycot which is sold seperately.Weight (whole pushchair): 11kgWeight (seat and wheels): 8kgFacing: Parent and front facing – very easy to change by pushing up two buttons and lifting to switch.Wheels: Back wheels are air-filled. Front are plastic.Raincover? YesHarness: Five-point safety harness with padded strapsDimensions (when erect)Height: 75-107cmWidth: 60cmLength: 101cmDimensions (when folded)Height: 33cmWidth: 60cmLength: 66cm

First Impressions

It was very easy to assemble! Nick loves watching me receive a new pushchair to review – he says it’s akin to a child on Christmas Eve. I love the challenge of putting the pushchairs together, and the Britax Affinity 2 was easy! H-Bear wanted to get in on the action… so I sat him and Busby in the box to watch.

We’ve been the proud owners of the Britax Affinity 2 for two months now… So what did we think? Is it better than the original Affinity? And the thing I was most concerned about – has the raincover improved?!

The Good

It’s a great push. It really is a wonderful push! It’s so easy to maneuver; the rubber centre of the handlebar provides excellent purchase for one-handed steering (a very useful feature when you have more than one child and need a hand free!), and it’s easy to get on and off public transport. We live in a fairly urban part of the world, but visit our local green space quite frequently, and it works wonderfully both on and off-road! It also faired well on the sandy beach!

The canopy. I love the extending canopy. This is an improvement from the original Affinity as it’s longer and provides more coverage. I haven’t had to drape a muslin square over the front on sunny days! Hurrah! The canopy also has UPF 50+ sun protection.

Suspension. Ooh I’d forgotten how wonderful suspension is! Prior to the Affinity 2 arriving, we’d been using a pushchair without any suspension… Poor H-Bear!! This makes the Affinity 2 ideal if you go for country walks, or just live somewhere with lots of greenery, as well as useful in urban areas on cobbles or bumpy paths.

The brake. The brake is fantastic! I’m so glad to see that Britax have kept the red/green system, as it’s useful when I’m half asleep and can’t remember whether I put the brake on.

Leatherette handle bar. I love a leatherette handle bar! It’s perfect in wet weather, as it doesn’t fill up with water like a foam one does. Plus (as I mentioned above) the rubber centre is fantastic for one-handed steering. The handle bar is also adjustable, which is fantastic as Nick and I like our handle bar at different heights.

Raincover. It’s big. It FITS. And it’s easy to work out how to put it on when it suddenly starts raining and you’re feeling flustered in the middle of a busy street.

Changing position. Changing the seating position is so easy! Just pull the lever at the back of the pushchair, and your little one can be lying down. It’s not noisy and it’s a vast improvement on the original Affinity!

Apron. I love love LOVE the new apron that comes in the colour pack. This wasn’t a feature on the original Affinity, and what a fantastic idea in the place of a cosytoes! Plus it keeps socks safe from falling in the road, and snack mess is hidden! It easily poppers onto the pushchair, and the elasticated base hugs the bottom of the footrest.

Fold up and down. I don’t tend to fold the Affinity 2 up and down much as I don’t drive, but it’s easy to fold.

Front and parent facing. I love that the pushchair can be both front and parent facing. H-Bear is still currently parent facing as I’m not quite ready to switch him yet. It’s easy to swap over – just press the buttons on each side and lift, then slot back in!

Colour packs. The Britax colour packs are such a fantastic idea! I love that you can buy them separately to update the look of your pushchair. The new Affinity 2 packs are inspired by colours in nature, and they’re all so vibrant. The blue of our pushchair is brighter than the original Affinity, and we always get lovely comments when we’re out and about. The colour pack was slightly fiddly to attach, but didn’t take long.

The Bad

Basket size and accessibility. The basket seems to be smaller on the Affinity 2 than on the original Affinity, which is a shame as I always seem to have a full basket with two children’s worth of stuff in. Thankfully the raincover folds down small, so doesn’t take up too much space. The basket isn’t very accessible when the pushchair is in parent facing mode either, and I find myself ungracefully shoving things into the basket from the back… It’s a lot more accessible in front facing mode.

The rivets in the seat cover. The rivets in the seat cover are deep and therefore fill up with snack crumbs quite easily. I find myself having to vacuum the pushchair every few days! It’s not a big problem, it’s just a little frustrating. On the plus side, the covers can be removed and popped into the washing machine if required.

The Ugly

Fabric bumper bar. The original Affinity had a leatherette bumper bar, which was fantastic because it wiped clean! This one gets very messy and doesn’t clean well at all. Perhaps a bumper bar cover in the colour pack would be a good idea, as then it could be removed and washed?

Anything to add?

The Britax Affinity 2 is a neat, nifty pushchair for getting around. There have definitely been improvements from the original Affinity, such as the raincover, although I have been a little disappointed by the change in bumper bar. It’s still a beautiful pushchair, and feels safe and sturdy to push.

H-Bear loves the Affinity 2; it’s passed the snoozing test for him a number of times (from the boy who hates naps), and he always looks safe and secure in the pushchair. He’s a big fan of the new apron feature too, and always looks so cosy when it’s on.

The Britax Affinity 2 costs £465, which includes: the chassis (choose from white, silver or black), wheels, bumper bar, raincover, apron, and a colour pack of your choice. The carrycot and compatible infant carseat can be purchased as extras, as can co-ordinating cosytoes and other accessories. Find out more on the Britax website.

Hello!

Welcome to Make, Do & Push!
An award-winning parenting and adventure blog written and photographed by Hannah Harding (Mother of Explorers, Lover of Yellow & Chaos Coordinator).
Featuring the adventures of 'Busby', 'H-Bear', 'Bun' (who is due in December 2018) and Bertie Custard the cockapoo.